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Commissioner El Franco Lee, is a
native Houstonian, reared in Houston’s Kashmere Gardens Addition and
a graduate of Phillis Wheatley Senior High School. Commissioner Lee
continued his education at Texas Southern University (TSU), where he
received a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Technology;
completed related course work and postgraduate studies at the TSU
School of Public Affairs, and at the University of Houston.
Commissioner Lee began his political career in 1979 when he was
elected Texas State Representative for District 142 where he served
for five years. In 1985, Commissioner Lee was elected and
sworn in as the first
African American Harris County Commissioner, where he is currently
serving his seventh term in office.
Lee is a great advocate of partnerships. Through partnering with
various entities, his precinct has benefited through the process of
combining resources toward a common cause, thus resulting in the
enhancement of quality services and an increase in the numbers
served.
Much of Precinct One is made up of the inner city, and over the
years, Commissioner Lee has worked hard to improve the quality of
life for the residents in underserved areas. His emphasis on the
inner city has had a far-reaching impact and has been instrumental
in providing services and opportunities for youth and young adults
through various initiatives within the
Harris County Precinct One Street Olympics Program. In 1986,
Street Olympics began as a Summer Youth Program, but has since
developed into a network of recreational, educational, and health
programs that include the
Harris County Aquatics Program
(HCAP), the
Northeast Adolescent Program (NEAP),
Bright Futures, and the
Discovery Camp. Precinct
One Street Olympics, Inc. now serves over 10,000 Harris County youth
each year. Commissioner Lee has also helped the inner city through
his participation in the SPARK Park Program, which upgrades
inner-city school property for public park use. His participation in
the SPARK initiative was the catalyst that led to the establishment
of the
‘Finnigan Park Project’
that, to date, has been most successful in completing comprehensive
park upgrades involving total renovations and new construction of
some 9 parks within the precinct.
Although Lee has one of the most active Seniors Programs involving
initiatives such as Health & Fitness, Arts & Crafts, Piano/Computer
Tutorials, Gardening, Tours/Transportation, Annual-Holiday
Celebrations, and other special programming such as the Seniors
Drama Group, and the Seniors Readings and “In Our Own Words” Writing
Workshops, he has continued his passion and emphases on youth
initiatives through the creation and expansion of the
Northeast Adolescent Program (NEAP) that started in
1990. NEAP is the result of a partnership between Harris County
Precinct One, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston ISD, Harris County
Hospital District, March of Dimes, Harris County Public Health &
Environmental Services, Aldine ISD and North Forest ISD, created as
a pilot program to address the high rates of teen pregnancy and
infant mortality in the inner city. Currently in its fourteenth
year, NEAP now serves several thousand youth each year through the
teen health clinics that are located within his precinct area.
Not only has Commissioner Lee served the community well, he has also
worked extensively on a number of substantive local, state and
national committees and boards; serving as a member of the National
Organization of Black County Officials, a member of the Board of
Directors for the National Association of Counties, and secretary of
the Texas Conference of Urban Counties, of which he currently serves
as Chairman.
Aside from his official county duties, Commissioner Lee has been
active in a number of community outreach programs. He has worked
with the Urban Outreach Program, and the Northeast and Metro
branches of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). He has
also helped to raise funds for a number of charitable organizations,
including the American Diabetes and March of Dimes Associations, and
the Live Oak Fund.
Commissioner Lee and wife, Ethel Kaye
have two children. |
